An educational facility for management and leadership in commerce, industry and government, the central idea for the Katitjin Centre is the creation of a high performance training facility, including spaces and training rooms which provide excellent internal and external amenity for occupants, flexibility for programme delivery and effective breakout and interactive spaces to foster exchange and informal learning.
DESIGN DESCRIPTION
The new building achieved a significant knitting together of the existing suburban campus, creating a series of convivial external terraces and courtyards between the new building and the adjacent building and landscape areas. It also establishes a dramatic visual connection and engagement with the bushland immediately south of the site.
Nine training rooms, three smaller syndicate team rooms, and comfortable breakout areas are spread over two levels. The building is a flexible and engaging training centre, which provides a healthy indoor environment with abundant natural daylight, good air quality, excellent acoustic performance and strong visual connections to the outdoors.
Full height glazing creates an indoor environment well connected with its landscape surrounds. Expansive landscape views, particularly from the upper floors, were included to provide a surprising and refreshing relief and counterpoint to the day-long sessions which make up the bulk of the management training operations of the centre. A covered walkway on the north provides a cross campus pedestrian axis and a terrace to the east affords views to Perth's city centre skyline.
Internally a central spine connected to the entrance and circulation void fosters interaction and exchange amongst building users. Large sliding doors and operable walls provide flexibility and connectivity within the building, as well as links to terrace areas on two levels.
The building incorporates a restrained palette with material linkages between internal and external spaces. Materials were chosen for their environmental qualities, minimum maintenance requirements and their capacity to contribute to the visual coherence of the building and the campus. Precast and insitu concrete incorporated high proportions of recycled content and much of the building has been designed and documented to facilitate future dismantling and recycling of materials.
The close collaboration between the consultant team and the client resulted in a positive ESD outcome, a spatially generous and operationally supportive training environment, integrated services and architectural innovations including the dramatic reinforced fibreglass verandah canopy.
ESD initiatives like the roof mounted photovoltaic cells allowed the project to achieve a 6 Star Green Star rating with the Green Building Council of Australia using the Education Design V1 tool, the first in Western Australia.
ACCOLADES
RAIA (WA) Architecture Awards, Public Architecture Award 2012
RAIA (WA) Architecture Awards, Sustainable Architecture Award 2012
Master Builders Association, National Awards, Excellence in Energy Efficiency 2012
Master Builders Association, National Awards, Best Educational Building 2012
Master Builders Association, National Awards, Best Commercial Project 2012
PRODUCTS
CURTAIN WALL & CLADDING
PAPPAS GLASS
ROOF & WALL
GOCRETE, INDUSTRIAL COMPOSITE CONTRACTORS (ICC)
FLOORING
INTERFACEFLOR AUSTRALIA
PAINTS & COATINGS & FINISHES
WATTYL
LIFTS
KONE ELEVATORS
CEILING & PARTITIONS, BUILDING BOARDS
SCREENWOOD, DANOLINE
DOORS & WINDOWS GLAZING HARDWARE
PAPPAS GLASS, HUFCOR
SECURITY & FIRE PRODUCTS
SIGNATURE SECURITY, AP FIRE SYSTEMS
BATHROOM & KITCHENS & SANITARY WARES
CAROMA
LIGHTING & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
QMI, CPE SWITCHBOARDS
SOLAR TECHNOLOGY
SOLAR SHOP AUSTRALIA
STEEL
HVAR
AUDIOVISUAL
VIZCOM TECHNOLOGIES
